Feed-guide for printing-machines



(No Model.)

J. T. HAWKINS.

FEED GUIDE FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

No. 365,127. Patented June Z1, 1887.

PATENT Fries.

JOHN T. HA'VKINS, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED-GUIDE FOR PRINTlNG-IVACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,127, dated June 21,1887.

Application filed March 3, 1887. Serial No. 229,525. (No model.)

To LZZ whom i6 may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. IIAwKINs, of riaunton, inthe county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Feed-Guides for Printing-Machines, which invcntionisfully set forth and illustrated in the following specification andaccompanying drawings.

The object of this invention can be best expressed by the followingpreliminary explanation: In overfced cylinder printing-machines in whichthe impression-cylinder is in motion when the grippers close upon thesheet it is necessary to have some form of support for the edge of thesheet which will extend as far beyond or toward the guides as the sheetitself, to prevent the sheet being` fed under the guides, and also toprevent it from coming in contact with the moving cylinder beneath itand perhaps disturbing` the accuracy of feedi ng. These supports arcvariously known as sheetsupports,77 under guides,77 &c., and aregenerally in the form of thin strips or tongues of metal. They mustextend beyond thc front edge of the feed-board, in order that thegrippers may close upon the paper between them without coming in contactwith the board. I will give these strips or tongues in thisspecification their most common name, runder guides.7 Where such underguides project from the front edge ofthe feed-board, they must liebetween the sheet and the cylinder at the moment the grippcrs close uponthe sheet. As they must be of some thickness, and also not touch thesurface of the cylinder, particularly in those varieties of machine inwhich the impression-cylindcr makes more than one revolution to animpres sion and in which the sheet is delivered from the top and frontof the cylinder, and consequently must pass between the under guides andcylinder in delivery, said under guides must make more or less of acorrugation in the gripper edge of the sheet, and as there must be atleast two of these there will always be at least two corrugations in thepaper, and these corrugations interfere with and render uncertain thelateral register of the sheet. To obviate this corrugation of the sheetand permit of its being clamped straight and undisturbed upon thecylinder is the object of this invention.

The invention herein described, being a modification of Patent No.343,454, granted to me June 8, 1886, consists of the parts here inafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of such partsof a cylinder printing-machine as are essential to the illustration ofthis invention, showing the guides down into position for guiding orgaging the sheet. Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of said parts; andFig. 3 is aside elevation similar to Fig. 1, with thek guides shownthrown out to allow of the passage of the sheet.

In said figures thc several parts are indicated by numbers as follows:The number 10 indicates the feedboard,and 11 theimpressioncylinder. Apair of brackets, 14, are attached to the feed-board 10, in whichbrackets are journaled two rock-shafts, 24 and 30, and a shaft, 15,whichis supported therein in aflxed position. A lifter-rod, 9, isautomatically operated, as shown in Patent No. 343,454, to rise andlower at the proper time. Adjustably secured to one end of shaft 24 is alever, 25, engaging the bent end of rod 9, by means of which the shaft24 is oscillated. Adjustably secured to shaft 15, by means of gibs 17and thumb-screws 1S, are one or more screw-sockets, 16, carrying aset-screw, 19, and ehecknut 20. Secured to shaft 30 are one or moresockets, 31. in which are pivoted curved wire dropiingers 32, supportedwhen lifted bystoppins 33. The shal't 30 is slightly oseillated at theproper time from any suitable part of the mechanism (not shown) to liftthe drop-fingers 32 away from contact with the fced-board 10, as shownin Fig. 3, and drop them into contact, as shown in Fig. 1. Adj ustablysecured to shaft 24 by the gibs 34 and setscrews 35 are levers 23,carrying on the lower ends short thin under guides, 29. Mounted looselyupon shaft 24 within a notch cut in the hub of le ver 23 areguide-fingers 21, carrying on their lower ends over guides, 22. Theunder guides 29 pass into a notch formed in the lower ends ofguide-fingers 21. To the inner' side of 1cvers 23 are secured by theirtop ends springs 27. Their lower ends impinge against the guide-fingers21. Guideflngers 21 carry projections 2S, which impinge against thestopscrews 19, and stop-pins 40, secured in the guide-lingers 21, engagecorresponding slots IOO in the levers 23. Shaft 24 is returned inopposition to the lifter-rod 9 by a helical spring, 3G. (Seen in Fig. 2only.) The grippers 41 of the impression-cylinder 11 are operated at theproper times by any .well-known means. The stop-screws 19 regulate theposition of the lower ends of the gnideiingers 21 when down in theposition shown in Fig. 1, and thus also regulate the width of hold lakenonthe sheet by the grippers 41.

'The operation of the above-described parts is as follows: Vvlith theparts in the positions shown in Fig. 1, except that the drop-fingers 32will not have been lowered into contact with the feed-board 10, thesheet is fed to the guide-fingers 21. Just previous to the closing ofthe grippers 41 upon the sheet the drop-tingers. 32 are automaticallylowered upon the sheet, as shown'in Fig. 1, to prevent its disturbanceduring the short period intervening between the vremoval of theguide-fingers'21 and the actual closing of the grippers 41 upon thesheet. Upon the dropping of drop-fingers 32 into contact with the sheet,rock-shaft 24 is oseillated by the lifter-rod 9, carrying levers 23, andwith them under guides, 29, away from the guide-fingers 21, until thepoints of the under guides, 29, are within the inner face of theguide-fingers 21, the springs 27 serving tokeep the guide-fingers 21 inposition against the stopscrews 19 until thestop-pins 40 arrest theseparation of the levers 23 and guide-fingers 21, at which point thegrippers 41 complete their closing upon the sheet. After said closing,the levers 23 and guide-fingers 21 continue to move together out oftheway of the advancing sheet until reaching the position show-n in Fig. 3,the drop-fingers 32 having been raised as soon as the grippers 41 werecompletely closed upon the sheet. The points of the underguides,29,exactl y meet thefront edge of the feed-board 10, or passslightly under it, when in the position shown in Fig. 1, and thestop-screws 19 are so set that the stop-pins 40 arrest any fartherinward motion of the under guides, this being the position or" the partswhen the maximum amount of gripper-hold on the sheet is given. Byadvjustment of the stop-screws 19 the width of gripper-hold isregulated, placing the points of guide-fingers 2,1 more or less closelyto the front edge ofthe feed-board 10.

Having thus fully described my said lirnprovcment as of my invention, Iclaim- 1. In the feed-guide apparatus of a printingpress or othermachine requiring sheets of paper fed to it, in combination with one ormore adjustably-movable front guides, as 21, movable under guides, as`29, arranged to be withdrawn at the proper time, iirst from projectionwithin the face of the front guide and thereafter in unison with saidfront guide, for the passage of the sheet, whereby-thc edge of the sheetis properly gaged, located, and supported from contact with theimpression-cylinder, and thereafter clamped upon the impression-cylinderby its grippers in a smooth and unc'orrugated condition, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In the feedguide apparatus of a printingpress or other machinerequiring sheets of paper fedvto it, in combination with one or moreadjustable front guides, as 21, and one or more drop-fingers, as 32,movable under guides, as 29, arranged tobe withdrawn at the proper time,rst from projection within the face of said front guides and thereafterin unison with said front guides, to allow the passage of the sheet,whereby the edge of the sheet is properly gaged, loeated, and su pportedfrom contact with the impression-eylinder, vheld by said drop-fingersduring the last closing of the cylinder-grippers, and thereafter clampedupon the impression-cylinder grippers in a smooth and uncorrugatedcondition, substantially as set forth.

JOHN T. HAVKINS. Witnesses: v ELIsHA T. JAoKsoN,

J. F. HALEY.

